Chapter 26. Determination
Determination is the twenty-sixth chapter of manga series Darker than Black: Shikkoku No Hana. Summary At headquarters, Misaki Kirihara gathers some weapons and prepares to head out. She recalls Dr. Robert Schroeder giving her an experimental mine which releases anti-Gate particle irradiation upon contact. It is a single use device which can destroy what makes a Contractor a Contractor, which Dr. Schroeder compares to a miniature Ring]. He told Misaki that it was one of Sergei Vectrof's ideas which he completed and brought to Misaki at his request. She asked where Sergei was, but Dr. Schroeder stated that he did not know. When Misaki wonders what she is supposed to do with the device, he tells her that it may be a cure for those infected by the black flower, as it destroys the Contractor detritus in their body. He reveals that the flower is the result of becoming a Contractor. He disagreed with Mina Kandaswamy's conclusion that it only left behind a Contractor's ability, saying this would be impossible and postulates that the flower is the true form of a Contractor. As he left, he noted that Misaki looked rather despondent and told her to look in to the Nishijima Group, which has labs comparable to those of PANDORA. Misaki leaves the police headquarters after placing a letter of resignation on the section chief's desk. She visits Kunio Matsumoto in hospital, placing flowers by his bedside. She tries to leave without waking him, but he stirs and goes after her. Realizing what Misaki is going to do, he tries to stop her going alone, but is interrupted by the sound of a helicopter landing above them. On the roof, Hei gives Parcel to a doctor, telling that the child has been shot. He then tries to have Azusa Tsukimori stay in the hospital too, but she refuses and demands to accompany him to Harvest's location. She reveals that she cannot remember anything about the friend who died because of her. The pair try to convince each other that about the right course of action, but in the end Hei lets her go with them. As the helicopter takes off, Misaki reaches the roof. Seeing Parcel on the stretcher, she watches as the helicopter leaves. She recognizes Hei and deduces that they are heading in the direction of the Nishijima Building. She tells Kunio to have Kouno and Yūsuke Saitō protect Parcel. At the Nishijima Building, Commander Nishijima curses the failure of the general's troops and orders the building's security to be split in to three groups. He then instructs Abigail Croft to accompany him as they move the black flower. He is cut off by the sounding of the alarm. One of his subordinates alerts him that communication with the squad sent to kill Harvest has failed and the building is under attack. Characters in Order of Appearance #Misaki Kirihara #Robert Schroeder (flashback) #Issei Yanagi #Kunio Matsumoto #Hei #Parcel #Yin #Azusa Tsukimori #Commander Nishijima #Abigail Croft #Harvest Navigation Second manga 26 Category:Shikkoku No Hana